California, Washington and Oregon push back on Trump's CDC with West Coast Health Alliance [View all]

Last edited Wed Sep 3, 2025, 01:57 PM - Edit history (1)

California, Oregon and Washington are joining forces to insulate vaccine guidance and other public health recommendations from political interference, a direct response to turmoil at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under President Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Govs. Gavin Newsom of California, Tina Kotek of Oregon and Bob Ferguson of Washington announced Wednesday the creation of the West Coast Health Alliance, a pact that aims to keep their states’ health policies unified and grounded in scientific expertise. The move comes as the nation's top public health agency is being reshaped by Kennedy and his vaccine-skeptic allies, with key leadership fired and the agency in turmoil.

“President Trump’s mass firing of CDC doctors and scientists — and his blatant politicization of the agency — is a direct assault on the health and safety of the American people," the three governors said in a joint statement. "The CDC has become a political tool that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science, ideology that will lead to severe health consequences. California, Oregon, and Washington will not allow the people of our states to be put at risk.”

In June, the three states issued a joint statement condemning Kennedy's decision to remove all 17 members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Among the replacements named by Kennedy are appointees who spread vaccine misinformation and relayed conspiracy theories during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Associated Press.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/california-pushes-back-trumps-cdc-140000442.html

West Coast Health Alliance: West Coast states push back against ‘politicized’ CDC

BY FRANK SUMRALL

West Coast states are taking health into their own hands.

Washington, Oregon, and California have launched a groundbreaking West Coast Health Alliance to counter what leaders call federal mismanagement of public health. The alliance aims to deliver science-driven vaccine guidance and restore public trust.

Governor Bob Ferguson announced that the move ensures residents get clear, consistent health information — free from political interference.

“President Trump’s mass firing of CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] doctors and scientists — and his blatant politicization of the agency — is a direct assault on the health and safety of the American people,” Ferguson said in a joint statement alongside California Governor Gavin Newsom and Oregon Governor Tina Kotek. “The CDC has become a political tool that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science, ideology that will lead to severe health consequences. California, Oregon, and Washington will not allow the people of our states to be put at risk.”

https://mynorthwest.com/local/west-coast-health-alliance-cdc/4127259?lid=coqbncbcgq8g